Bun-Bun the Destroyer
A feared and enigmatic figure, Bun-Bun the Destroyer was a raider warlord who terrorised the Detroit Wasteland in the late 22nd Century. For a short period, his army were the preeminent power in the ruined city, before his sudden and explosive downfall. History Nothing is known about the man who became Bun-Bun the Destroyer before he took up the mantle; in fact, their gender is merely assumed based on their voice. The first rumours of their existence began to circulate through the northern Michigan wastes during the harsh winter of 2181. There, locals spoke of a strange creature who lurked in the snow and killed anything that it came across. While many put this down to some mutated creature or perhaps a Sheepsquatch, the truth proved to be completely different to expectations. Bun-Bun was in fact a man, albeit one that possessed a unique countenance. They wore a Raider Power Armour seemingly at all times; certainly nobody ever saw them leave or board it. This was then topped off with a battered Easter Bunny Mascot head. The result was a massive, looming and terrifying figure, one that struck fear into those that encountered it. However, its attacks were more than just random preying on targets of opportunity. Instead, they were driven by a singular goal. During the 2181 – 2182 winter, Bun-Bun preyed on the tribes that inhabited the region. His goal was one of conquest; those that were defeated were forced to join him, or else risk destruction at his hand. Those that took him up on his offer were reformed into a legion under his command, a conquering army that he was seeking to unleash. By the spring of 2182, there were tribals actually coming to him to join his army, driven as much by greed and ambition as they were fear of suffering his wrath. However, Bun-Bun was not interested in conquering mere tribals and ruling over an empire of dirt. Instead, he had greater ambitions. He set his sights further south, marching his army towards the Detroit Wasteland. His goal was to bring the ruined city under his control, and any who resisted him would be ground under his (very literal) iron heel. Those who had been chosen to be his lieutenants all supported his plan, driven as much by their own greed as they were the fear of incurring his wrath by disagreeing. Bun-Bun’s first conquest was an old power station on the northern edge of the city. Long since abandoned, the structure was still intact, even if somewhat worn through neglect. Its only inhabitants were feral Ghouls, who were quickly eliminated by Bun-Bun’s men. Once secured, the location was quickly fortified and converted into a combination of fortress and palace, complete with a customised throne designed to accommodate Bun-Bun’s Power Armour. Having set down his roots, Bun-Bun then sought to expand his empire. His first target was Tony Farm, a nearby agricultural settlement populated entirely by Ghouls. While its produce was mainly for sustenance, Tony Farm also did limited trade with the other emergent Detroit Wasteland communities. They also were well aware of the risks of life in the wasteland, and had taken steps to fortify the settlement and arm its populace. However, even then they were not ready for the sheer numbers and ferocity of Bun-Bun’s attack. The first sight of a hoard of men charging towards them was intimidating enough, but the presence of a massive armoured figure complete with bunny head was terrifying. Already demoralised before the fighting had truly begun, the defenders were quickly overwhelmed and slaughtered by the raiders. Those that survived were enslaved, forced to work for their new overlords. This first conquest had served merely to wet Bun-Bun’s appetite, making him eager for more. Rallying his army, he pushed south towards the heart of the Detroit Wasteland, confident that his army would be able to conquer all that stood in its way. Their first few clashes with small raider gangs they encountered in their advance seemed to prove that point; the raiders were simply slaughtered almost to a man with only minimal effort. A few were left alive simply so they could be questioned so Bun-Bun could learn more about what lay ahead. They were then executed, simply to prove the point. This information revealed that Bun-Bun was not alone in his dreams of conquest. While there were a trio of large settlements (Park Lane, Grand Central and Chryslus Castle) that he saw as being ripe for the picking, what truly caught Bun-Bun’s attention was the existence of other Warlords in the ruined city. He immediately saw them as rivals, ones competing for the same prize that he sought. In his mind, there could only be one possible outcome; they would have to be destroyed. Bun-Bun’s army rolled in through the city’s North-East, quickly conquering several small settlements that had only a few years prior been under the control of the Butcher. At the same time, they began a campaign against the raiders in the area, which again were the remnants of the Butcher’s army. Unlike their previous engagements, Bun-Bun gave these raiders the chance to surrender. Those that did were conscripted into their army, helping to swell its ranks. Confident in his numbers, Bun-Bun then headed westwards, intending to conquer Chryslus Castle. It was here that Bun-Bun faced his first real opposition, even if it was from an unexpected quarter. His forces slammed into Preah Khan’s army as they were in turn moving to surround the city. Their advance quickly turned into a stand-up fight as both sides sought to claim the area around Chryslus Castle for their own. Bun-Bun sought to drive off Preah Khan in order to establish his place in the Detroit Wastelands. Meanwhile, Preah Khan quickly recognised a new rival, and decided that it would be best not to let them establish a foothold. Ultimately, it was Bun-Bun himself that would prove to be the decisive factor in this battle. His Power Armour gave him an advantage that Preah Khan could not match, as none of their weapons could stop it. Realising that the battle was lost, Preah Khan chose to pull his forces back and let Bun-Bun have the day rather than continuing to bleed troops. Having won the day, Bun-Bun then marshalled his depleted forces to take up positions around Chryslus Castle’s eastern flank. What Bun-Bun didn’t realise was that the Chryslus Castle Guard were well aware of what had been happening outside their walls, the legacy of years of fighting raiders and other Warlords. The battle had given them a chance to prepare their defences and plan for the specific opponents that they were facing. As a result, Bun-Bun’s already weakened forces met a well prepared and dug-in defence that they found was impossible to dislodge. Furthermore, the Chryslus Castle Guard, recognising that they were facing a Power Armour, bought out reserves of heavy weapons to deal with the suit. Realising now that not only was his situation poor but that his own life could be in danger, Bun-Bun reluctantly retreated from the battlefield. In doing such, he still was able to preserve a good amount of his strength, and consolidate his forces rather than throwing them away on a hopeless battle. Even though Bun-Bun had lost this initial battle, he still had a foothold and the opportunity to achieve more. Redirecting his attention, Bun-Bun swept east and south, devouring territory that was held either by minor settlements or raider gangs. In most cases, Bun-Bun lead his forces from the frontline, using the combination of his suit’s power and terrifying appearance to shock and demoralise opponents. By the middle of 2183, Bun-Bun had carved out a vast swathe of territory for himself within the Detroit Wasteland, giving him the second largest holding of any of the Warlords after Preah Khan. Inevitably, this expansion would again bring him back into conflict with his rivals. Having devoured much of unclaimed territory, Bun-Bun again began to look greedily at morel lucrative prospects. The three major settlements held the most promise, but he also knew from his own experiences that taking one of them would be impossible when there was a rival Warlord who could claim it. As such, he felt that he needed to either eliminate or, at the very least weaken his rivals. Bun-Bun saw Chryslus Castle as being the most tempting target. Not only was it the closest to his territories, but it also was the furthest removed from the other two major settlements. Much of the area around it, however, was still claimed by Preah Khan, which meant that any attempt to seize it would run the risk of interference. Given that situation, Bun-Bun decided to launch a campaign aimed at driving Preah Khan’s forces away from the region. Despite having been preparing for his own moves on Chryslus Castle, Preah Khan was by no means blindsided by this move. Instead, he had been working on his own contingency plan for such a situation. Code-named ‘Kill the Rabbit’, his plan had involved dispersing heavy weapons to his men in order to give them a means to kill Bun-Bun should he appear. If nothing else, he hoped that the presence of such weapons would give the rival warlord pause, knowing that he too could be vulnerable. As it stood, Preah Khan had no desire to give up the territory and opportunity that he had fought so hard for. However, while this plan was sound in theory, in practice it proved to be far less so. Preah Khan’s men had little experience with these weapons, leading to poor utilisation. In many cases, they would simply use them liberally on whatever enemy forces appeared, even if Bun-Bun was not among them. While this did help cut down the enemy’s numbers, it also meant that his army burned through precious ammunition quickly. In other cases, his men would hold back against Bun-Bun, waiting until they had a clear shot while also ignoring those with him. Ultimately, Preah Khan’s plan was flawed as he had based it around killing a single individual. For his part, Bun-Bun simply continued to wade in to Preah Khan’s forces, mercilessly slaughtering them himself where needs bee. The sight of his bunny-headed Power Armour soon became feared and hated among Preah Khan’s men, the very sight of it sapping their morale. Soon he had carved a bloody path through his enemies, leaving little standing in his wake. Seeing the futility of fighting a losing battle, the rival warlord pulled back, conceding the territory and strategic advantage to Bun-Bun. Despite this, he had little time to celebrate. Before Bun-Bun could launch his own attack on Chryslus Castle, his southern flank came under attack. Seeking to take advantage of the situation, Black Alice had moved her forces to claim Bun-Bun’s territories for her own. While she had no love for Preah Khan, she also had none for Bun-Bun, and held no reservations about her opportunism. Pushing up from the downtown region, Black Alice quickly tore off a chunk of Bun-Bun’s holdings and added them to her own. Bun-Bun was furious at this perceived insult, and immediately bought his own forces to bear on Black Alice. While he was able to make good some of his losses, his men quickly bogged down in the face of the enemy. Seeing that they were unable to make progress on their own, Bun-Bun chose to personally intervene in the conflict, hoping to use the brute force of his Power Armour to solve the impasse. This would prove to be a fatal mistake. While in past Bun-Bun had been unmatched inside his Power Armour suit, now he faced an opponent who was his equal. Inside her customised T-45d Power Armour, Black Alice was able to face him one-to-one on the battlefield. Furthermore, her suit was technically the superior of the two in terms of protection and durability. While this was somewhat offset by Bun-Bun’s mania, the pair of them proved to be somewhat evenly matched. The two would clash several times, one or the other opting to disengage if they thought that they were going to lose the battle. In this case, now confronted with an enemy he could not just swat aside, Bun-Bun proved to be more wary and less single-minded than he had previously, willing to actually give ground now that his life was at risk. Again, his army stalled as he proved to be unable to overcome Black Alice, who in turn solidified her hold over a portion of his territory. However, Bun-Bun came to take this deadlock personally, feeling that he needed to defeat Black Alice herself in order to defeat her army and take control of the Detroit Wasteland. Abandoning all pretence at strategy, Bun-Bun instead focused solely on taking her down. Black Alice in turn became aware of this situation and chose to use it to her advantage. She lured Bun-Bun into an ambush by using herself as bait. Once he moved to engage her, a number of her soldiers surrounded him and opened fire with the most potent weapons available to them. Even allowing for the success of the ambush, the result was not what she had expected. A lucky shot pierced Bun-Bun’s fusion core, setting off a nuclear explosion that destroyed both the suit and its occupant. Personality Bun-Bun was a strange figure, to say the least. To start with, they never used any name other than Bun-Bun, and would go to great lengths never to reveal their identity. And while the idea of a man in an Easter bunny costume and a power armour might have seemed comical, the truth was that Bun-Bun was a dangerous man. He was a driven and determined conqueror who seemed to live only to do battle and crush his opponents. He was also utterly ruthless and bloodthirsty, engaging in violence for the simple sake of it and only showing mercy when it suited his cause. His leadership style was based on intimidation, commanding loyalty more out of fear than respect. Like the other Warlords, he was driven by the lust for power and sought to bring the Detroit Wastelands under his control. Bun-Bun took the opposition he faced from both Preah Khan and Black Alice personally, seeing their moves as being aimed at him rather than just trying to stop his conquest. His rivalry with Black Alice became particularly intense after she proved to be his equal in combat, and he came to belive that by besting her alone he could defeat her entire army. Curiously enough, Bun-Bun never seemed to acknowledge his strange attire. Instead he seemed to act in a way that suggested that a grown man dressed as a cartoon rabbit while leading a conquering army was a perfectly normal occurrence. He was also prone to emitting strange laughs at seemingly random and oft inappropriate moments. Appearance Nobody is known to have ever seen Bun-Bun’s face or had any idea what he looked like outside of his suit and mask. Even his gender was unclear; Bun-Bun was simply assumed to be male based on his voice, but that was never verified either. However, it was aslo assumed that, based on their voice, Bun-Bun was a human, not a Ghoul. Equipment Two pieces of equipment would come to define Bun-Bun more than anything else; his Power Armour and his mask. Bun-Bun’s Raider Power Armour was typical of the type; a mass of scratch-built scrap-metal armour attached to a still-functional Power Armour Frame. What made it unusual was the fact that Bun-Bun never was seen to leave it. While theoretically doing such was possible, in practice it would be uncomfortable in the long term. Like Bun-Bun himself, there is no clue as to where the Power Armour came from. Bun-Bun’s signature mask was an Easter Bunny mascot head of a similarly unknown origin but believed to have been pre-war. The head had white fake fur, but was in somewhat battered condition. In addition to being dirty and missing patches of its coverage, it also was missing one ear. While he used several different weapons, Bun-Bun’s favourite was a Super Sledge. He seemed to favour it for the horrible carnage it could wreak with his suit’s enhanced strength, as well as the intimidation factor. Rumour has it that Bun-Bun's Super Sledge survived his explosive demise, and was later passed down between different raiders over the years. This has lead to occasions where raiders have claimed to possess the "real" weapon and used it as a symbol of their strength and authority, or even just tried to sell it for a lot of caps. Category:Characters Category:Raiders Category:Michigan Category:Deceased